Rachel Furness: Northern Ireland’s record scorer retires from international football

Born in Newcastle and qualifying for Northern Ireland through her mother and grandfather, Furness made her senior international debut as a teenager in 2005 – shortly after the team had been reformed.

Furness was integral to Northern Ireland’s historic qualification for Euro 2022, scoring five goals, and her dedication to her country was showcased in the play-off first leg in Ukraine.

After scoring the opening goal, she attempted to play on despite sustaining what turned out to be a broken leg. In the second leg, she was there heading every ball and cheering every tackle whilst on crutches on the sidelines.

She recovered and became Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer in November 2021 when she netted twice in a World Cup qualifying win over North Macedonia at Seaview.

Furness played in all three matches at the finals in Southampton, delayed a year by Covid, providing the assist for Julie Nelson’s famous header against Norway.

She stepped away from international duty following the tournament, which she later revealed in an emotional interview to BBC Sport NI was to look after her mental health.

She made a long-awaited return to the squad away to Wales the following April, and her last cap came in Hungary in October 2023 as injuries limited her involvement.

However, her standing was still clear when she was drafted in as a last-minute call up for April’s game at home to Romania, providing crucial experience in a young squad, and she retained her place for the concluding fixtures in the Women’s Nations League campaign.